The story of digitalization in manufacturing is genuinely fascinating

About 35 years ago, “digitalization in manufacturing” wasn’t a buzzword. It was more of an improvised project with a very serious background: quality and safety requirements were rising, while materials became lighter, tolerances tighter, and processes more sensitive.

The problem back then: the tools were still “blind.” Hardly any sensors, hardly any data. Yet the expectations were already clear: precision, repeatability, traceability.

So we took a detour that, in hindsight, looks like the very first real step toward Industry 4.0:

👉 We started by building intelligent inspection equipment.
Not because it was “cool,” but because it was necessary. If the production tool itself has no sensors, you need something else to measure whether it is still operating within limits. Only through sensor-based inspection equipment were we able to qualify these “primitive” tools at all.

Later, the tools became smarter: displays, controls, more signals, more data. Suddenly, numbers were everywhere - which initially felt like progress.

But in my view, the real breakthrough came with a different realization:

Data is only valuable if it is authentic.
And authenticity rarely emerges when a manufacturer “proves” its own hardware - or when a producer programs its own truths.

The key was independent software:
Systems that collect and evaluate data independently of hardware manufacturers, creating a neutral foundation you can rely on. In some areas, quite literally, a foundation on which lives depend.

Today, we’re once again seeing fresh momentum in IT. Many software companies can pick up trends faster and deliver real value directly into production lines.

At the same time, I’m also observing a counter-movement:

More and more manufacturing companies are trying to build everything themselves - from the car itself to their own ERP systems or data platforms.

And I completely understand the impulse: control, speed, independence.

But without focus and experience, this can tip over quickly.
The result: data silos, redundancies, multiple versions of the truth, unstable systems - and ultimately decisions based on data no one truly trusts anymore.

And as if that weren’t enough, complexity is increasing in parallel due to regulation (especially in the EU):
Safe products are no longer sufficient. Software must also be secure, traceable, compliant, and resilient against attacks - yet every day we see the opposite.

My takeaway after all these years:

Digitalization is not about “more data.”
It’s about trustworthy data, clean architecture, and clear responsibility.

Perhaps that’s the most important lesson from 35 years of manufacturing:
Technology only creates progress when it is credible.

What’s your perspective - where are you currently seeing “build vs. buy” decisions in production? And how do you determine whether data is truly reliable?